When a person enters or leaves the rear compartment of a vehicle, there may be occasions where personal assistance is needed. Those who are physically disadvantaged or physically handicapped may have a particular need for assistance. The very young and the aged sometimes need assistance because of the seating arrangements that are presently found in the rear seating compartments.
The need for seating assistance is not limited to passenger vehicles, such as automobiles, vans and trucks, but may also exist in the seating arrangements found in airplanes, trains, boats and even in public transportation vehicles.
Many automobiles provide single hand straps to aid those passengers being seated in the rear compartment. Some others provide hand grips attached to the roof, found slightly above the door. Generally these passenger assist devices are not positioned in the passenger compartment in such a manner, as to offer mechanical advantage to those entering or exiting a vehicle.
Passenger assist devices should be positioned in the passenger compartment where it offers a substantial amount of mechanical advantage to the passengers. Devices that use only a single handed grip do not offer the maximum mechanical advantage.
The placement of these passenger assist devices should be placed where they can be safely used without harm to the occupants in the event of a collision of some other type of calamity.
The selection of materials used in the passenger assist devices should also provide a safe environment should the occupants come inadvertently in contact with the devices.
There is also a specialized need for a passenger assist device that can be added to existing vehicles.
Many of the prior art apparatuses do not provide the maximum mechanical advantage to the passenger. Several devices are placed where the maximum mechanical advantage cannot be achieved.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,310, granted Aug. 18, 1992, to Y. Itoh, discloses a headrest with a decorative board to its rear. The decorative board is formed with a gripping hook member found in its inner wall. The gripping hook is snap fitted over the exposed part of a securing rod found in the headrest body.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,016, granted Dec. 2, 1986, to R. A. Bergsten is a handlebar mounted in the door frame of an automobile for passenger assistance in exiting from the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,810, granted Aug. 15, 1978, to C. J. Barecki, discloses a grab rail for transit vehicle seats. The grab rail is an energy absorbing type designed for a transit vehicle having a longitudinal core material with a covering material around the core material.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,182,606, granted May 11, 1965, to B. D. Osgood, discloses a vehicle entry and exit assist strap and bracket. The assist strap is mounted on a bracket that automatically locks the strap in a stored position. The bracket contains an integral coat hook that is available when the assist strap is in the operative position.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,768,590, to Otto, is a hand rail for motor vehicles attachable to the inner roof above the seats.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,586,986, Sep. 21, 1949, to C. E. Orrison, discloses various embodiments of a hand support for automobiles, wherein each of the different forms of hand support is attachable to the window frame of the motor vehicle.
As can be seen from the discussion of the previous prior art, the handle is generally positioned in the passenger compartment where the occupant cannot achieve the maximum mechanical advantage. The handles or straps that were disclosed are for single hand use and again do not offer adequate support to the individual upon entering or exiting the seating area in the vehicle. In some of the prior art, the safety aspects needed to protect the occupants of the passenger compartments, are not adequately implemented in today's vehicles.
Therefore, a specialized need exists for a passenger assist device that can offer the maximum mechanical advantage to aid those in entering or exiting a vehicle as a passenger. In addition, the device must be composed of such material and composition to provide a safe riding compartment for the occupant.